Don’t Kill your Trees! – Staking

This entry was posted on June 28, 2013 by admin.

There’s more to planting trees than throwing them in the ground and hoping, and we’ve already taken you through some of the essentials for making sure they turn out healthy and happy, such as planting at the correct depth with appropriate space and maintaining a sensible watering schedule over the first few years of their life.

But today we’ll be talking about staking, which should follow immediately after planting if you want to give trees the best start in life, and the stakes should remain in place for the first two years of growth. Staking will help prevent the roots being moved during heavy wind, at risk of tearing new growth.

Just remember, as ever, to give trees appropriate space to grow. Every tree will need staking individually, and under no circumstances should they be tied to fences!
It’s important to remember that different trees require a different amount of staking. For smaller trees up to 175cm, a single 180cm stake placed at the edge of the root ball will suffice. For anything over two metres you’ll require a double stake method, which we discuss in more detail within the document below.

When you’re placing the stake, be sure to locate it on the side of the prevailing wind, this will keep the tree from being blown directly into the stake, at risk of damaging both.

If you’re looking for a little more information, you’ll be able to find a few additional resources on our site to help out. We’ve published out own full and detailed guideline to correct planting and staking, which is available on our downloads page. Just click on the ‘Tree Planting Method’ sheet, and you’ll be on your way to planting safely and without difficulty.

If you’ve got any questions or queries about setting up an order or gardening advice, don’t hesitate to contact us, and we’ll be more than happy to help.